


We'll Make It To The Top

by gracie_the_shadow_writer



Series: Malec Performing Arts AU [1]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Dancer!Alec, M/M, More tags to be added, Performing Arts AU, Shadowhunters Hiatus Bang, Singer!magnus, Youtuber AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-13
Updated: 2018-03-18
Packaged: 2019-03-30 20:38:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13959552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gracie_the_shadow_writer/pseuds/gracie_the_shadow_writer
Summary: Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood have been performing together for years. When they transitioned over to YouTube, they've even managed to go viral. When an accident forces them to stop performing for a while, will they ever be able to make it to the top once again?





	1. Prologue

It was the definition of a triumphant return.

The past year had been filled with struggles for both of them, but this moment made it all worth it. Cheers from the crowd filled Magnus’s ears, making him feel a million things at once. After the trials of recovery; the dark moments of fearing he’d never truly be able to sing again, or watching Alec struggle with dance moves he’d mastered decades ago.

Now, Magnus had just finished one of his best performances yet, and he had gotten to do it with the love of his life. He reached out and laced his fingers through Alec’s. The thunderous applause continued, and any moment now they’d get a cue to go back on for their encore. “Are you ready to take our bow, Alexander?”

Alec tightened his hand around Magnus’, stroking his thumb across his knuckles. He shot him the brightest smile. “No turning back now.”

Hand in hand, the two of them stepped from the wings and back into the bright lights of the stage. Magnus grabbed the microphone and walked out onto the stage to greet the cheering crowd, unable to wipe the excited grin off of his face. He knew that behind him, Alec was setting up to start his choreography.

The music started to pour out of the speakers, and Magnus let his soul go. After everything, this was what they had worked for. It had hardly been an easy path: Magnus managing to transition from his beginning as a youtube cover artist, fighting through the devastating news of vocal nodes; the subsequent surgery and recovery. Alec had begun dancing at age 6, but injuring his knee at twenty-three had sent him into battles of physical therapy and recovery.

Through it all, though, they had been able to rely on each other. The days when their dreams felt all but impossible to reach, they had been able to pull each other through.

Now, they stood on stage, with thousands of fans screaming lyrics back to them. Alec shone in the spotlight as he danced across the stage; the personification of music that Magnus brought to life.

This song was more than just an encore; it was a reflection of the path that Magnus and Alec had travelled to get to where they stood that day. The opening notes of Ed Sheeran’s _Thinking Out Loud_ tumbled out of the speakers over the crowd, and Magnus knew that even through all the struggles, he was exactly where he was meant to be: with Alec, the two of them together in front of a crowd.


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lyrics from A Whole New World from Aladdin.

* _13 years ago_ *

“Okay, what’s your name, Honey?” The woman at the desk asked, her eyes scanning the list of names carefully.

“M-Magnus. Magnus Bane,” Magnus answered somewhat timidly. It was a big day for him. He was auditioning for the school talent show, and the only singing that he’d ever done publicly had been in front of his mom and his vocal instructor.

The woman furrowed her brow as she searched the list for his name. “Bane, Bane...ah, there you are!” She exclaimed, swiftly crossing his name off with a pencil. She handed him a form, telling him he was expected to fill it out with his name, grade, teacher, and what he planned to do for his audition. “Good luck, Honey,” she said.

Magnus took the paper from her without responding, and walked into the cafeteria packed full of other nervous kids waiting to audition. The tension in the air was thick. He glanced around, hoping to spot someone that he knew. He didn’t see anyone from his class, or any other fourth graders for that matter. Magnus had been hoping to see his friends so they could help lessen his nerves.

Magnus sat down at one of the lunch tables to relax. His stomach was starting to hurt. His Mom had told him that the best thing to do when anxious was to try to relax and take deep breaths.

“Um, Hi.”

Magnus heard a voice next to him. He glanced up to see a boy. The boy was about his age a duffle bag hanging from his shoulder and a concerned look on his face.

“Hello,” Magnus replied shyly. He recognized Alexander Lightwood. Alexander was in the fourth grade class across from Magnus, and kind of quiet, Magnus had never spoken to him before.

“Um, I noticed you were sitting here by yourself and you looked kind of sick. Is it okay if I sit with you?” He asked. Magnus noticed that Alexander's cheeks were turning a pinkish color, as if he were embarrassed.

“Okay,” Magnus responded, lightly patting the spot next to him, feeling a little giddy. Alexander always seemed really nice despite his quiet nature. Magnus wanted to get to know him better.   
Alexander smiled and sat down, placing his bag on the floor.

“You're Alexander, right?” Magnus guessed, making it a question for the small chance that he could be wrong.

Alexander nodded. “Mhm, but you can just call me Alec; everyone does. And, um, you're Magnus! I recognize you from career day last year,” he said. Magnus’s mother was a photographer. She had run a booth at their career day last year where she had talked about her job.

“So, what are you gonna do for your audition, Alec?” Magnus asked, quickly adding, “I’m gonna sing A Whole New World from Aladdin.”

“Really? That sounds so cool!” Alec responded. “Do you like to sing a lot?” His eyes flashed with interest.

“Yeah, I love to sing. My mom said that I’ve loved to sing ever since I could speak, and I started taking lessons a few years ago,” Magnus explained.

“Nice! I’m gonna do a Jazz routine for my audition.” Alec said.

“Wow, I didn’t know you could dance,” Magnus said, impressed.

“I want to learn either tap or ballet. They both sound like they would be really fun to learn,” Alec said.

Magnus had a lot of fun talking with Alec. Magnus loved his other friends, but they liked talking about video games and action movies. Magnus preferred talking about music and singing; as he was with Alec.

He was about to respond to what Alec said, but his attention was shaken by a familiar voice calling his name.

“Magnus!” He turned around to see his mom walking towards him. “Sorry I had to leave for a few minutes, Sweetheart. I had to drive back home to get your scarf. Your outfit wouldn’t be complete without it,” she said, leaning over to kiss his cheek when she was close enough.

He grinned up at her. “Thanks, Mom,” he said, taking the scarf from her. Magnus’ mom never cared that he like to wear fancy clothes and sparkly things.

Magnus flicked his eyes over to Alec, who was watching them, intrigued. “Oh, Mom, this is Alec. He’s doing a dance routine for the talent show.”

“Hi there, Alec. You can call me Sonia,” she said.

Out of the corner of his eye, Magnus saw a woman and a little girl walking towards the table they were sitting.

“Oh, Alec, honey, there you are! I was wondering where you ran off to,” the woman said, ruffling Alec’s hair. Magnus assumed the woman was Alec’s mom.

“Hey, Mom!” Alec said, then gestured to Magnus. “This is Magnus; he’s a singer.”

“Wow, that’s awesome! It’s nice to meet you, honey,” Alec’s mom said, patting Magnus on the shoulder.

While the two moms began chatting with each other, Magnus turned around to start up conversation with Alec again.

“Hey, Alec? Are you nervous about auditioning?”

“Yeah, a little bit. This is my first time being in a talent show, and my first time performing in front of anyone ever,” Alec admitted, lowering his head as he started fidgeting his hands in his lap.

“Me too. I’m really excited to do it, though,” Magnus replied enthusiastically.

Just then, the woman from the front desk walked out into the middle of the cafeteria, clutching a clipboard in her hands. “Okay, I need number fifteen; Bane, Magnus.

His mom gasped next to him. “It’s your turn, Magnus! Good luck!” She was grinning wildly, as she pulled him into a tight hug, leaning back to kiss his cheek.

As he was about to walk towards the woman, Alec got up from his seat and wrapped his arms tightly around him. “Good luck, Magnus,” he said.

Magnus was the first to step back, his face slightly flushed. “Thanks, Alec,” his voice noticeably shaky, and then he turned, walking off towards the woman.

* * *

 

“Come on in, Magnus,” one of the judges encouraged when they saw Magnus pause outside the classroom door.

As he walked in, he recognized the two judges immediately; one of them was Mr. Carstairs, the music teacher, and the other one was Mrs. Branwell, the drama teacher. Mrs. Branwell always asked her students to call her by her first name, Charlotte.

“Okay, Magnus,” Charlotte smiled sweetly, “let’s get started. How old are you?”

“Nine years old,” he answered.

“What grade are you in?”

“Fourth.”

“Whose class are you in?”

“Mrs. Fairchild’s.”

“Alright, thank you,” Charlotte finished.

Then, Mr. Carstairs leaned forward. “So, do you have a CD of the song that you’re going to sing?” He inquired, sliding his chair over to plug the stereo into the outlet next to the table.

“Mhm,” he answered, handing Mr. Carstairs the CD from inside his folder. He took the CD, and put it in the stereo.

“Okay, Magnus, what song are you going to sing?”

“Um, I’m gonna sing A Whole New World from Aladdin.” He said.

“Alright, are you ready?”

“Yes,” he stated as confidently as he could, his nerves finally starting to calm down.

Then, Mr. Carstairs pressed the play button on the stereo and the familiar music filled the room.

Magnus closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

 _A whole new world_  
A new fantastic point of view  
No one to tell us no  
Or where to go  
Or say we're only dreaming

 __  
A whole new world  
A dazzling place I never knew  
But when I'm way up here  
It's crystal clear  
That now I'm in a whole new world with you

After the music stopped, Magnus opened his eyes to see Charlotte and Mr. Carstairs grinning at him.

“That was great, Magnus!” Charlotte exclaimed, meriting down some things on the sheet of paper on the table before her. “You have a wonderful voice, especially for someone your age.”

Mr. Carstairs was also writing something on his sheet, then he glanced up at Magnus. “Okay, so in couple of weeks, we’re going to put up a list of who got in the talent show. If you see your name on the list, you go to rehearsal the next day. Okay?”

“Okay. Thank you!” Magnus said as he rushed out the door, running to tell his mom how well the audition had gone.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Magnus stared at the stats from his youtube channel. He had a decent number of followers, but he’d never seen anything like the numbers from his latest video. He was dangerously close to reaching one million views. His voice and Alec’s dancing had struck a chord, going viral in a matter of days. They’d been somehow wound up being shared from a few influential names on social media, and then the attention had come on like an avalanche.

It was baffling. It was hardly a new formula; Alec had been dancing to Magnus’ covers for years. Yes, this one was special, but there was no way for the audience to know that.

Magnus and Alec had been best friends since they first met at that talent show, all those years ago. When Magnus had first started recording covers, Alec had mentioned how much he liked to dance to them. It was only natural for their talents to evolve together. Magnus would find a song, record a cover, and then Alec would choreograph something for it.

Their first videos had been a single angle from the crappy webcam on Magnus’ computer. As time went by, their channel gained followers, and they began to expand to better equipment. They tried to get one music video completed every month, always scoping out new locations for Alec to dance in, and keeping an ear to the radio for songs Magnus wanted to cover.

They had a pattern; Magnus would lay down a track, and then Alec would dance to it. It worked for them, and it worked for their slowly growing fanbase.

The song that changed everything was the song that broke the pattern. It was practically the first day it had been released when Alec approached Magnus with the pitch. One Call Away by Charlie Puth had barely entered the radio waves when Alec played it for Magnus. Alec explained that he already had the dance in his head, he could feel exactly how the choreography needed to go.

What Magnus hadn’t realized at the time was that it was more than just a song. One Call Away was a confession. Alec was sometimes able to find clarity in movement that seemed unreachable in words. Instead of fighting with sentences and tripping over words, Alec poured everything he had into the grace of dance.

They had grown up together; been inseparable since that fateful day at the talent show. Magnus had shown Alec a whole new world, and Alec wouldn’t have been able to wish for anything better. One Call Away was the next step in their journey together. Laid bare in the honesty of movement, Alec could only hope that his message was understood. “We’ve been friends for years. You’re the best part of my life. I’ve been in love with you for as long as I can remember. I love you, please say you feel the same.”

Magnus felt it the first time he saw Alec running through the choreography. It wasn’t even set to music yet, and still Magnus could hear it. Alec had finished running through the dance, and Magnus had simply walked up to him and said “I love you too.”

Their first date had been that night. That weekend they filmed the music video. Four days later, it was a hit like nothing either of them had ever seen before, racking up hundreds of views ever hour. When their video hit the threshold of five million hits, they started getting calls from morning news programs, looking to cash in on the latest trending video.

From there, it had been Magnus’ charm and Alec’s diplomacy, and suddenly they found themselves with a record deal and a tour on the horizon.

Magnus was about to close his browser when he heard the familiar sound of the doorknob rattling, and Alec’s footsteps echoing through the entryway of his apartment. He remembered that Alec was going to talk to him about some choreography that he thought up; he just needed to find a song to go along with it.

“Hey, Magnus,” he said, placing his bag on the kitchen counter, and walking toward where Magnis was sitting at his desk.

“Hello, Alexander,” Magnus responded, standing up to hug him and kiss him on this lips once he got close enough. He heard Alec sigh into the kiss, a sure sign that he’s had a long day.

“What are you looking at?” Alec asked him once he pulled away, taking a glance at his laptop screen.

“Oh! I was just looking at our recent stats. Even after a couple of months, our Charlie Puth cover has really brought our numbers up.” Magnus felt Alec wrap his arms around his chest, and rest his chin on his shoulder.

“Can you blame them? It was one of the best videos we ever made,” Alec responded. Yes, it truly was, Magnus thought.

“How’s your knee?” Magnus asked. “Has it gotten any better?” Last week, Alec was practicing some of his more difficult dance moves, and his leg slipped from underneath him, resulting in him landing rather hard on his left knee.

“It could be better, but it's had worse days for sure.” Alec said, obviously uncomfortable with standing up for a long period of time.

“Well here, you should be sitting down, Alexander,” Magnus said, rolling his extra swivel chair over to Alec for him to sit on. Magnus saw him wince as he sat down, his heart aching for him. If Alec has to do physical therapy, it could be a while before he could do any of the more advanced dances that he enjoys.

“Thanks, Magnus,” he said, propping his leg up on a box next to him. “Can you pass me my bag? I left it on the counter.”

“Of course,” Magnus answered, getting up and walking towards the counter. As he went to sit back down and hand Alec his bag, he noticed some papers sticking out of one of the pockets. “Hey, what’s that?” He asked.

“Oh, right! Remember how Luke’s friend Hodge said that he could possibly set us up with a record deal?” He asked. Magnus nodded; Luke Garroway, who’s dating Alec’s mother, just happened to be good friends with Hodge Starkweather, the most well known talent agent in the city. If anyone could set them up with a record deal, he could. “Well, he just emailed me this morning, and he said that if we really want to do this, we’ll need to put on a showcase to see of people actually like us, and our style.”

Magnus scoffed. “Well, not to brag, Alexander, but judging by these stats, I'm pretty sure quite a few people enjoy what we do,” he said jokingly.

Alec chuckled. “I think he means people outside of YouTube, Magnus.”

Magnus had to hold in his laughter, trying to be serious. “To be totally honest, I think that's a great idea! The only thing is, we’d have to wait until your knee is healed, and we won't know how long that could take until we go to the doctors tomorrow,” he said, trailing his fingers gently up and down Alec’s calf.

“I know,” Alec said, placing his hand on top of Magnus’s, still on his calf. “But we shouldn't let that stop us from looking into it, you know?”

“Of course not,” Magnus said, leaning on to kiss Alec on the cheek. “Now, what is this dance video that you’ been dying to show me?” He asked teasingly.

Alec’s whole face lit up, and he reached into his bag to pull out a DVD in a small case. “I found this old video of me from a few years ago, and I thought it would be cool to revisit it, but I'm not side of what song we would put it to.

“Hmm, let's see it, then,” Magnus replied, opening up the DVD player on his laptop, and placing the disk inside.


End file.
